


Be My Fake Girlfriend?

by Zakani_Donovan



Series: Ineffably Yours (Ineffable Husbands AU Week 2020) [7]
Category: Good Omens (TV), Good Omens - Neil Gaiman & Terry Pratchett
Genre: Aziraphale Loves Crowley (Good Omens), Crowley Loves Aziraphale (Good Omens), F/F, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Human AU, Ineffable Husbands AU Week 2020, Ineffable Wives | Female Aziraphale/Female Crowley (Good Omens), Lesbian, fake dating au
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-26
Updated: 2020-09-26
Packaged: 2021-03-06 21:40:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,980
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26455807
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Zakani_Donovan/pseuds/Zakani_Donovan
Summary: Antoni wants her highschool reunión to go a certain way, so she asks Aziraphale to tag along as her date. Pretending to be together is very easy when you’re actually in love with your fake girlfriend. Who knew?
Relationships: Aziraphale & Crowley (Good Omens), Aziraphale/Crowley (Good Omens), Death & Famine & Pollution & War (Good Omens), Death/Pollution (Good Omens), Famine/War (Good Omens)
Series: Ineffably Yours (Ineffable Husbands AU Week 2020) [7]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1922614
Comments: 7
Kudos: 39





	Be My Fake Girlfriend?

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Jenanigans1207](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jenanigans1207/gifts).



> Day 7 of Ineffable Husbands AU Week 2020.
> 
> Prompts to choose from: Artist AU and/or Professor AU.
> 
> Prompt chosen: Both.
> 
> (Also doubles as a fake dating AU)

_**Crowley's POV:** _

Today was a Friday night. Like many others before it, Antoni and Aziraphale would enjoy each other's company while sharing a bottle of wine and complaining about whatever issues they'd had over the last week. Tonight, they were in Aziraphale's home, and the skinny painter was stretched out on the old couch, while the professor sat across from her in the loveseat. In between them was the coffee-table with a bottle of their favorite vintage. They had been talking and drinking for a while now, and the redhead was looking a bit upset.

"What's got you all worried?" Asked the blonde in her usual, sweet tone.

_Damn, she noticed. Might as well ask now..._

"Angel, I need a favor." Sighed Antoni before taking another large gulp from her wine glass.

Aziraphale tilted her head. "Yes, dear girl?"

_Why do you have to do that? You look like a puppy! Are you **trying** to melt me via cuteness?_

"My highschool reunion is coming up. I want to go, catch up with some of my old friends, but if I show up alone, all people are going to notice is the fact that I'm single." Explained the redhead.

Aziraphale made a face which said she didn't buy that for one minute. "Oh, surely your friends don't care whether you're single or not. Not to mention, your talent. That's plenty for them to talk about. They'll love you all the same."

She drank a bit more. "It's not about that, it's just that... Look, they're all coupled up, and always end up talking about their relationships. Carmine and Raven are engaged, and Chalky and Reaper have been married since we were of legal age!"

_Was Chalky legal by then or did his parents sign the papers? Whatever, not important._

The shorter woman raised an eyebrow. "I'm sorry, 'Chalky and Reaper'? Pardon my saying so, but your friends sound like cartoon characters." She said with a laugh.

_Had I never mentioned them? Could've sworn I had, at one point..._

Antoni sat up straight to grab the wine bottle. She leaned over the table to pour more into Aziraphale's glass after topping off her own. "We call Albus 'Chalky' because of his eyes. He's got some weird thing going on there, no one really knows why, but his irises are practically see through. Real sensitive to light, even more-so than me. Don't be surprised if he never takes the shades off."

The curvy blonde glared at her best friend. "And you make fun of him for his condition?!" She scolded.

"He started the joke, so it's fine. Plus, only **we** can call him that. Anyone outside the group gets their arse kicked." Antoni assured.

"Ah, well. If he's comfortable with it, I suppose it's fine. And 'Reaper'?"

Antoni grinned. "Their name is Azrael Grimm. Their parents were really into Halloween and spooky stuff when they were young so, why not name their kid after Death Itself? With the surname Grimm, they were already halfway there. Luckily, Azrael didn't resent them for it, they embraced it."

"And I thought 'Chalky' was odd." Mumbled Aziraphale.

_You have no idea, angel._

The skinny woman snorted. "Yeah, I know right? Anyway, everyone at school called them 'Reaper' and they played along. This one year, for Halloween, they showed up with the cloak, scythe and everything, nearly gave Ms. Yu a heart attack!" By now she was having too much fun recalling old tales, because she almost spilled her wine on Aziraphale's carpet.

"How lovely." Said Aziraphale, deadpanned.

"It was funny." She insisted.

Aziraphale rolled her eyes after taking another sip from her glass. "Whatever you say, dear. So, were they all dating when you were in highschool?"

"Yeah."

"So, what's the problem now?"

"I don't have Lucy anymore..."

Suddenly it all made sense. "Ahh, that's right. She was your first love, no?"

_Unfortunately_.

She nodded. "Yeah. So, I wasn't the fifth wheel, like I am **now**. All the other times I've met with them, sure, we had a nice time, but I can tell they pity me because things didn't work out between me and Lucy." The black-clad woman put her glass on the table, seemingly no longer in a mood to drink.

"They shouldn't. No one should feel bad for someone being single. Some people prefer to be on their own, and that makes them perfectly happy." Said the blue-eyed woman in a very protective tone.

Antoni always appreciated when Aziraphale tried to reassure her. "I **know** that. Look, I love them, and I know they love me back. The whole pity thing isn't intentional, it just sorta happens. I'd like to hang out with them just once in person and **not** have that happen..."

"Of course you would. It's only natural."

_Alright, here we go. Time to beg._

"So, here comes the favor: Do you think you could pretend to be my girlfriend? Just this once?" She did her best impression of Aziraphale when she wanted something. That pout always got her to do whatever she wanted, perhaps it would work the other way around.

Aziraphale put her glass on the table as well. "Are you sure you'd want to lie to your friends like that?"

"It wouldn't even be a problem, you'd only be helping me... Please?" She asked kindly, her golden eyes piercing her own.

The blonde relented. "If that's what you want."

_Ideally, it wouldn't be pretend but if I tell you that, I'll ruin everything. It's good enough._

Antoni hopped up and practically dove into the loveseat with her. Aziraphale was surprised, seeing as usually, she'd be the one to initiate a hug and Antoni would groan and push her away. Now she was wrapped around her like a serpent.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you! I owe you, whatever you want!" Said the redhead before letting go. As she tried to stand up, she tumbled back onto the seat. "Fuck. That wine's kicking my arse more than I realized. I should get home."

"Oh, no. You're **not** driving like this!" Said the blonde, reaching into Antoni's back-pocket, taking her keys.

_Well, that's as close I'll get to an arse grab from you._

The scrawny woman rolled her eyes and regretted it very quickly, as she felt the room spin. "I wasn't gonna drive, I was gonna call a cab!"

"Keep your money. You're staying here. I know you have nothing to do tomorrow."

"You say that with such conviction. What if I had an appointment with a client? Or a really hot date?" Challenged Antoni with a grin.

Aziraphale glared at her. "I would've heard about either beforehand, considering you tend to tell me everything exciting in your life."

The grin faded. "Okay, bad example."

The blonde petted her head as if she were a pup who just learned her lesson. She did it often while they were drunk, and she knew how Antoni despised it. "Indeed. Now, do you plan on sleeping in those jeans or shall I lend you something?"

"Your nightgowns fit me like a mini dress."

_And clearly, you're not interested in me, 'cause nobody can resist my legs in anything short._

Aziraphale huffed. "It's not **my** fault you're freakishly tall. Or that you never leave clothes here. You know you're always passing out here. An overnight bag would certainly help you."

"Wouldn't happen if you stopped encouraging my bad behavior."

"Oh, but I like scolding you. Besides, I can't bring myself to kick you out. You're just too ni-"

"I'm **not** nice!"

"And I **don't** teach medieval history. Now then, nightgown, yes or no?"

"Give me the longest one you've got. I must warn you: I'm wearing a thong. So I'm apologizing as of now if you wander down for a drink after midnight and my bare butt ends up mooning you."

"Oh, it wouldn't be the first time. Remember our trip to Spain 2 years ago?"

_Fucking Hell, that's right. Barcelona..._

Antoni groaned, her face growing red. "I had actually forgotten, thanks for bringing **that** up."

Aziraphale chuckled as she got up from the loveseat and Antoni quickly melted onto her spot, like a cat who wanted to sit there just so someone else couldn't. She came back moments later with the nightgown and some pillows. As always, Antoni wrapped herself up with the two blankets that were on the couch and slept like a baby.

_Yeah, you're definitely too good for me_. She thought as she drifted off.

~~~~~

**_ Aziraphale's POV: _ **

With the reunion a month away, the pair had enough time to get their act together. They were always close and in each other's space, but intimate or loving touching was a new thing. They wanted the ruse to be as believable as possible. So, today's activities consisted of them getting comfortable with behaving like a proper couple. Easier said than done.

"Alright, what do you want to start with?" Asked the golden-eyed woman as she sauntered into the blonde's study.

_Whatever you want._

She shrugged nervously. "I've never done anything like this before. Don't have much of a preference for a starting point."

"Okay, let's just go slow, then. Hand holding. Should be easy enough." Said the redhead.

Aziraphale gave a curt nod and gave Antoni her hand. Long, slender fingers, cupped her stubby, round ones awkwardly, a bit tighter than what would be considered a normal grip. The first thing they noticed was the amount of sweat coming from their palms. The second was the light shaking coming from Antoni. It wasn't too noticeable, but Aziraphale **had** noticed, and now, she couldn't ignore it.

_Is she having second thoughts about this? Does she think we're not aesthetically compatible enough to pull this off and she doesn't know how to tell me?_

"Are you alright, dear girl?" She asked, blue eyes looking up with concern.

Antoni nodded, lying through her teeth. "Yeah. Fine. Uh, you alright with this?"

"Well, it's fine. But, perhaps, this would be a bit better..." Said Aziraphale as she interlocked their fingers. It was much more natural. "How's this?"

"Good. Right. So, do we walk while holding hands or just while we're standing around?" Asked Antoni, not daring to look at her.

Aziraphale shrugged. "I suppose either one is fine."

"I **mean** : which do you think would be more comfortable? Do we never let go of each other? Do I stick my arm out and you hang onto it?"

"We'll have to try it." Said the blonde.

The pair tried several walking arrangements but eventually settled for Aziraphale hugging her arm, as it seemed like she was truly smitten with the tall vixen. Of course, that **was** the case, but Antoni had no clue. Next was their idle behavior which each other. That was fairly simple, gazing lovingly at each other without worrying about getting caught.

Then came the more intimate stuff. Do they hug? Do they not? Should they kiss? If so, how and where? Now, in reality, there are romantic partners who do none of those things. So, it'd be quite believable if they decided against anything along those lines. But, seeing as they were both pinning like mad and desperate, their excuse was 'it'll be more believable if we're all over each other'.

The redhead felt as if she was going to burst into flames when Aziraphale wrapped an arm around her waist and stood on her tip-toes to give her a kiss. They melted into each other, slotting together like two puzzle pieces. It was a perfect moment, one which the professor never wanted to end. A groan left the skinny artist and Aziraphale quickly pulled away.

_Please tell me I didn't mess that up._

"How was that?" Asked the blonde, nervous.

Antoni looked momentarily stunned. "Good. **Really** good. Uh, what was- what did you eat last?"

Aziraphale covered her mouth. "I had a pear or two before you showed up. Dreadfully sorry!"

_Oh, why didn't I brush my teeth?_

"Don't be!" Replied the redhead all too quickly and she stammered trying to recover. "I liked it. Like- eating a fruit salad." She immediately regretted saying that, covering her face with both hands thanks to the embarrassment.

Aziraphale found it cute. "Good thing I didn't have oysters. I know you hate those."

The skinny woman shuddered in disgust. "Thank Satan for that! It wouldn't be very believable if kissing you made me want to vomit. I'll take pears over shellfish any day. Oh, I was gonna ask, should I get some flavored lip gloss or something? Y'know, to make this whole thing a bit more pleasant?"

_It's more pleasant than anything in recent memory..._

Aziraphale cleared her throat, shaking her head. "No need, my dear. You taste lovely. I mean-!"

_Why on earth would you say that? You stupid, stupid woman!_

Antoni laughed. "Good to know. Don't think I've had someone say that before."

After regaining herself a bit, she looked up at the tall artist. "Shall we continue?"

"Yeah, yeah. Practice makes perfect and all that..."

_Right. Remember, that's all this is. Practice. A lie. Don't for a second start thinking it's anything more..._

They went back to kissing until they found a natural rhythm.

~~~~~

**_ Crowley's POV: _ **

Tonight was the night. They showed up fashionably late to the event, because of course they did. Antoni always had to be extra. This is why she all but kicked the door open to the gymnasium with Aziraphale on her hip like she was some kind of trophy wife. Admittedly, she was, as far as Antoni was concerned.

_Now, where the Hell are these guys...?_

She looked around for a familiar group of people, who were extremely separated from the rest of the alumni. She sauntered over, a grin stretched across her face. This had been the only time she let go of Aziraphale, squealing and jumping into the arms of another redheaded woman. Antoni had described her friends as much as possible, so Aziraphale immediately recognized her as Carmine.

"And here I thought you were gonna show up alone! When did you get this lovely little cream puff?" Despite the loud music, the blonde could tell her tone was a playful one, not one bit a malicious with that nickname.

Antoni beamed after Carmine had let her go. She wrapped her arm around the chubby blonde. "This is my girlfriend, Aziraphale."

_Oh fuck, I was supposed to say 'date'! We haven't rehearsed any couple-y stories!_

Luckily, Aziraphale didn't seem to notice or care. "Lovely to meet you all." Yelled the shorter of the two. All the others smiled at her rather than waving.

Then the gentleman, who Aziraphale assumed was Raven, piped up. "Let's head somewhere more quiet, yeah?"

The rest of the gang quickly agreed, grabbed several plates filled with finger foods, an unopened 2-liter, and they made their way out the gymnasium. Their footsteps echoed surprisingly loud as they roamed the hallways of the school. Eventually, they found the old music classroom.

"Wow, they really upgraded this place." Said Antoni admiring the new accommodations as she and Raven put the plates and bottle on the main stage, to serve as their table.

Albus agreed with a nod. "I'll say. They actually have soundproofing now, not just cheap carpet lining the walls."

"Yeah, but it's still on the floor." Noted Azrael before stealing an olive from one of the plates.

Carmine stabbed a cheese cube. "Bet it doesn't get cleaned as much as it should be. Don't be surprised if my allergies start up later, doll." She finished, turning towards the blonde.

"I actually have some allergy pills, if you need them." Supplied Aziraphale, trying to be helpful.

Carmine smiled at the short woman. "Well, aren't you a prepared little Girl Scout?"

Antoni let out a bark of a laugh. "You have no idea. She has anything you might need in that purse of hers." She said playfully.

Azrael seemed intrigued, almost like it was a challenge. "Is that right?"

"Ask her and find out." Answered Antoni with a smirk, accepting the hypothetical challenge.

The tall individual turned their gaze over to Aziraphale. "Got any pain pills?"

She nodded. "Acetaminophen or ibuprofen?"

"Toilet paper?"

"And some wet-wipes, hand-soap and sanitizer for afterwards." The blonde supplied.

"Tampons?"

"Only pads, I'm afraid."

They paused for a moment, trying to think of something else. "Pepper-spay?"

"Yes."

That surprised them. "Got a pocketknife too?" They asked, intrigued.

"A small one, on my keychain." She replied, seemingly proud of that one.

Raven decided to ask something now. "What about condoms?"

Aziraphale was suddenly as red as a tomato as she opened her mouth to speak but shut it quickly. She simply nodded.

Although she kept a straight face, inside, Antoni was losing her mind. _Condoms?! Why does she have condoms? Has she always carried them around or is she lying? No, she wouldn't lie about what's in her bag, she always tells the truth!_

"Aw, looks like Crowley found herself a little nymphomaniac, just like her! How nice!" Said Carmine as she clung to Raven's arm.

_Why the fuck would you say that?!_

Antoni made a face and growled, not daring to look at Aziraphale. "Shut it!"

Albus laughed before opening the soda. "Alright, she's mad. Let's stop talking about her girlfriend's purse." He said before drinking straight from the bottle.

~~~~~

Some time passed, they reminisced on old times, shared new stories, talked shit, made jokes. The group introduced themselves and spoke a bit of their professions. Raven was a chef and owned a restaurant down in Brighton. Carmine had joined the military just to travel the world and left the first chance she got, surprising even herself when she realized how much she loved the housewife life, even without the ring. Albus was the nurse with the strongest stomach in the E.R. And Azrael was an industrial welder, who usually worked the nightshift so they could be in the apartment during the day, at the same time as Albus, who usually had to work the nightshifts as well at the hospital.

Everything was going as well as Antoni had hoped. They were all, Aziraphale included, having a lovely time. Then, the moment finally came. They started asking about their 'relationship'. And, of course, it had to be Carmine starting the interrogation.

"How did you two meet?" Asked the other redhead as they all settled on the floor.

Raven had Carmine in between his legs, Azrael towered against Albus like he was a wall. To make it seem natural, Antoni wrapped an arm around Aziraphale's waist. To her surprise, the blonde snuggled up to her and did the same as she started talking. "Well, I went to an art gallery in town about 9 years ago. I knew the event was centered around sapphic paintings but I didn't know not much else. Certainly not if the artists were there or not. I wandered around for a bit and I found one piece which was gorgeous, but the setting was all wrong. The background architecture didn't match the what they were wearing- well, half wearing- at all! As a medieval history professor, I'm quite familiar with details like that. And so, I accidentally ended up ranting about it to the lovely woman next to me."

"She was criticizing my piece without even knowing it was mine! You should've seen her face when I introduced myself." Taking advantage of their height difference, Antoni put her chin on top of Aziraphale's head.

_It was adorable. Blushed more than she did earlier. Still the most I've ever seen her blush._

"I wanted to bury my head underground from the embarrassment! But then, she turned around and asked me for my contact information, to serve as a consultant of sorts. It was easily the most positive reaction to criticism I had ever seen!" Remarked the chubby woman.

"Crowley? **Our** Crowley? Reacting well to criticism?! Mate, she didn't yell at you because you're pretty." Said Albus with a wide smirk.

Antoni flipped him off. "That's both true and not."

Carmine looked intrigued, as did Aziraphale, because they both replied with: "Explain."

_Ah shit, here we go._

"Well, firstly, you're not pretty. You're gorgeous." She said, quickly planting a kiss on her hair before continuing. "And second, you showing off that big brain of yours let me know I needed to hang out with you more often." It was a really good thing Aziraphale couldn't see her face, because Antoni was the one who was blushing like mad now.

Azrael laughed. "Talk about a meet-cute. What was your first date?"

_Well, she went with our real meeting, I think I can tweak our first outing to make it a date..._

"We went to the park. I had my sketch pad with me and I wanted to have the real duck pond in a piece but I needed input on some buildings I wanted for the background. Not to mention the dress the woman's wearing. We met at a bench and she had this huge folder full of photos I could use as references. We talked a lot. Fed the ducks. Walked all over the park. Then I took her out for lunch."

Raven stood up, picked up a plate and started going around the group so everyone could have something to nibble on. "Aziraphale, I have to know: What **exactly** possessed you to agree to a second date? Because this one doesn't sound very impressive."

"Oh, fuck off!" Said Antoni, throwing an olive at Raven. Aziraphale said nothing but swatted at her hand and gave her a stern look. Well, it wasn't very stern looking but that was her intention. It wasn't her fault she looked adorable when angry.

The tiny blonde ate a cocktail sausage before answering that.

_She's certainly taking a while to chew that. Must be thinking up an answer._

She looked at Raven and shrugged. "Honestly? I found her too charming **not** to."

"Charming? Her?" Teased the tall, dark skinned man, hoping to get another rise out of Antoni. To everyone's surprise, she wasn't the one who yelled at him.

"She is!" Defended Aziraphale, looking a bit more serious than before.

"Darling, looks like you struck a nerve." Said Carmine, wide-eyed. A beat passed and she decided to address the angry little blonde woman. "Aziraphale, we tease Crowley but our intention isn't to treat her badly, if that's what you feel is going on. We're just playing. Usually she bites back a lot more, but maybe she's holding back tonight because you're here. Trust me, if she couldn't handle it, she would've let us know."

"It's true, angel. I would've stormed out by now if I had a problem with it. Hell, I probably say worse things than they do about myself. It's fine." Assured Antoni as she held her gently.

"No, it's not. It's not fine, at all..." Replied Aziraphale, frustrated.

_What?_

Antoni pulled away so she could look at her. "What is it?"

Bright blue eyes met gold and the little blonde began explaining herself. "My dear, I know how you are. I know you're trying to be funny most of the time you use that self-deprecating behavior. I know you're trying to be funny or trying to lighten the mood. And I hate it. Every single time you say anything bad about yourself, I just want to gag you with something, so I can tell you how wrong you are and you have no choice but to listen. And, hopefully, you'd believe it."

"Angel...?"

_Is this even part of the act?_

Aziraphale sighed. "This is neither the place, nor time, I've already ruined the nice time you were having, so I'll keep it short: I love you and I can't stand anyone speaking ill of you, not even yourself."

Antoni felt her heart drop. _Love... Do you mean that, or are you going for the Oscar?_

With a deep breath, she nodded. "I'll try to keep myself in check. And if I can't, feel free to do that gagging thing you mentioned..." She said with an awkward laugh.

"Believe me, I will." Said the blonde softly, snuggling up to her once more and hugging her properly.

Antoni hugged her back, gave Raven a look and with that, the chef started talking about another topic all together to lighten the mood. Soon enough, the air was no longer tense, and they were all comfortable again. They continued talking as if the conversation between the faux couple hadn't happened. Aziraphale was grateful for that. Until she had to go to the bathroom and Carmine decided to accompany her.

**_ Aziraphale's POV: _ **

It was obvious Carmine had a plan. She lead Aziraphale to the bathroom, but didn't let the blonde walk behind her. She didn't have to use the bathroom, as she never went into any of the stalls next to Aziraphale. She was pretending to fix her makeup, which was still as flawless as it was when they first met. Once the shorter woman stepped out of the stall and began washing her hands, they made eye contact over the mirror. She had been watching and waiting for her to look her way.

"Listen doll, we gotta talk." Said Carmine as she leaned back on the sink to look at her directly.

Aziraphale turned to face her once she finished washing her hands. "So I sensed... Go on."

"Antoni deserves the world. You know that, right?"

"I do."

"Are you ready to give it to her?"

"If she lets me, yes."

"Good." Said the intimidating redhead before turning to look at her reflection again. Seemingly, their conversation was done, and her hair being tied into a bun was more pertinent.

_Well, that's a bit strange_... "Aren't you going to give me the typical 'big sister threat'?"

Carmine shrugged before shaking her head. "No."

"Really?"

_I expected something far more... spooky..._

"I don't think I have to. I can tell by the way you look at her, you never want to hurt her, or even **think** of doing it. You'd hurt yourself first if it meant she came out unscathed." She said knowingly. Aziraphale felt like she was being read like an open book.

_More than you know..._ Aziraphale nodded.

The former soldier finished with her hair and placed a hand on the blonde's shoulder. "Did she tell you about Lucy?"

The blonde nodded again. "Her first love. She's never told me any details, though. I assumed it was unimportant or it hurt too much to talk about."

"She's always been angry about what happened. Or more specifically, how she handled it... Point is: Lucy really messed her up. Because of that, every other relationship she's had hasn't been very serious. So the fact that she introduced you as 'my girlfriend' says a lot about what she hopes this whole thing will be."

"So do I. I hope to make her very happy."

_I truly do..._

Carmine then winked at her and lead her through the bathroom door. "I'm sure you will..."

~~~~~

The group eventually went back to the actual reunion, just in time to see the former prom king and queen get crowned yet again. The rest of the event was a bit boring in comparison. Once they left, everything seemed to be fine. The ride home was mostly silent, except for the music playing in the background. Upon reaching Aziraphale's home, Antoni parked the Bentley and they went inside. 

"I really have to thank you. You did great. They really bought it." Said the skinny redhead as they entered the living room.

_Should I say something? Should I not? Would she hate me for it? Could we still be friends afterward?_

Aziraphale nodded as she sat on the couch. "Evidently. So much so, that Carmine invited me to your annual get away in Brighton."

_After giving me a third degree, mind you._

Antoni's eyes looked like they were going to pop out of her skull. "She **what**?!" Screamed the artist.

"As we were coming back from the bathroom. I accepted."

"Shit..." Said Antoni, as she slumped down to the other end of the couch.

_I should've never said 'yes' to any of this_... The blonde pouted. "I'm sorry, dear, I panicked!"

"It's okay, angel. We'll figure something out... Your acting was great. We can get through it again, no problem."

_Oh, bugger it all._

"That wasn't acting." Said the blonde, bracing herself for a blow.

The blow never came. When she looked back, Antoni was staring at her. Mouth slack, as if she was malfunctioning.

"Antoni? Please say something..."

"You... You weren't...?"

Aziraphale shook her head.

"Fuck..."

"I'm sorry."

"Sorry for loving me?" The question sounded very hurt.

"For not being honest about it..."

"Angel, I-" She stopped speaking as she rubbed her face in a aggressive manner. Suddenly, she stood and sighed and walked away. The redhead looked conflicted as hell. She looked at Aziraphale, then the front door. She did this multiple times, before settling for the door, and walking out.

Aziraphale chased after her but reacted too slowly. Before a clear thought could go through her head, she heard the Bentley pulling away from the sidewalk.

The blonde felt her heart sink.

_That's it, then. 9 years down the drain... I should've never agreed to this fake relationship nonsense..._

The blonde went upstairs, cried in the shower for a bit, put some pajamas on, then went into the kitchen to, hopefully, eat away her heartache.

A total of 33 minutes had passed before there was a violent banging at the front door. Aziraphale wanted to ignore it but it was too loud to bare. Upon opening the door, she was met with Antoni, holding a bouquet of multicolored roses, a box of chocolates and a book of some kind.

"Can I come in?" She asked softly, with puppy-dog-eyes.

Aziraphale, clearly angry, grabbed the bouquet and smacked Antoni over the head with it. "Why did you leave like that?!"

"I'm sorry! It's just that, I needed to get this and I didn't really think anything else through until I got home!" She said, gesturing to the book in her arms.

_Home?_

Aziraphale squinted. "What is it?"

Antoni turned the book to reveal the cover. It was a very specific illustrated version of Hamlet. Aziraphale's eyes grew wide. She had seen this before on their trip to Spain in a random bookshop and fallen in love with the style of the images and how they brought the scenes to life. However, she didn't have enough money for it, so she never purchased it. And here was Antoni with it, all this time later.

_Ever since Barcelona?_

"You've had this ever since our trip to Spain?" Her voice nearly broke with the question.

_It hasn't been one-sided...?_

Antoni nodded, nervously biting her bottom lip. "Yeah... Bought it while you were in the bathroom, stuffed it into my bag before you came back out. I was keeping it for a special occasion. Just never felt like the right time to give it to you before now... Y'know, love confessions are a pretty big deal."

"Indeed, they are... Come inside, dear. We have much to discuss." Said the little blonde as she stepped aside. Antoni smiled from ear to ear and made her way over to the couch.

Aziraphale locked up, found a vase for the flowers and sat next to her after placing the roses on the coffee table.

"These are absolutely gorgeous." She said admiring the colorful petals.

"Glad you like them. Grew 'em myself, y'know." Replied Antoni shyly.

Aziraphale gave her a look. "You did **not**."

_You better not make me cry. Please tell me you didn't actually grow these for me this whole time._

"Alright, maybe not all of them but I definitely grew the lavender ones and the yellows with the red tips. The red and white ones are easy to find at the 24 hour supermarket..." Explained the skinny woman.

_You **did**. You **actually** did. Oh Antoni, my heart wants to burst. What did I ever do to deserve someone as sweet as you?_

Aziraphale took a deep breath to control her emotions. "What do they mean? Aesthetically speaking, they don't really go together. And I'm aware you know a bit of flower language." 

"The white ones are 'purity'. For you. Well, not **for** you, more so, it **is** you. You're so pure. And you have this innocence about you, the way you always want to give people the benefit of the doubt. You're smart enough to not do that, but I know you still want to... The reds are a classic symbol for love, not much to speculate there. The other two are where it gets tricky."

"Why is that?" Asked the blonde, looking at the vase once more to see the other she had yet to explain.

Antoni's posture tensed a bit. Insecurity visible once again just like before when she had stormed out. "Well, because the lavender signifies 'love at first sight' and the yellow with red tips is 'falling in love'. To this day, I'm not sure if I went head-over-heels for you as soon as I saw you or if it happened gradually as we spent more time together. I know it can't be both."

_It's **never** been one-sided!_

"Why not?" Asked the professor in a soft voice.

"Hmm?"

Aziraphale turned to her again. "You just said the latter was 'falling in love', not 'falling in love over time'. It can be both... So you fell for me as soon as you saw me?"

The redhead let out a chuckle. "My knees nearly buckled, so that was almost literal. I saw you, thought you were the most gorgeous woman I'd even seen, and once you opened your mouth, I knew I was a goner."

"Is that the real reason you asked for my information?"

Antoni inched closer. "Honestly? Yeah, it was. But I knew how valuable your knowledge could be, so I decided to keep it professional. I had hoped it was just a crush that would go away. Boy, was I wrong... Once we became friends, I didn't want to ruin anything, because I didn't want to lose you. I'd rather be a pining idiot than not have you in my life." She said, reaching for her hand.

Aziraphale gladly took it and got closer too. "Good lord, we truly are dreadful."

"Why? When did you start liking me?" Asked the redhead as she interlaced their fingers.

Blue eyes met with golden ones, and a beautiful smile as well. "From the moment I met you dear, but that's irrelevant. After a few months of helping you, I realized I was smitten but never said a word, because I didn't think you could ever love me like that." Admitted the blonde.

"Aziraphale, I love you in many different ways. Always have, always will." Said Antoni as she kissed her hand.

The shorter returned the gesture. "I love you too, dear. So much."

Not long after that, Antoni was pulling Aziraphale in for a hug. They stayed in that same spot for hours. They didn't even speak, it was like a slightly uncomfortable cuddle session but it was exactly what they needed.

Eventually, Antoni grabbed her phone to check her messages from the 'Horsemen's' chat. Once she saw that all her friends had made it home safely, she squeezed Aziraphale just a bit more to get her attention. "I should really be getting home, angel. It's already 3 in the morning."

_Not possible love, I'm not letting go._

"You **are** home, dear. Did you lock the Bentley?"

"Of course I did."

"Then change out of those ridiculously tight trousers so we can sleep in peace. I'll lend you something. Come on."

And so they did, and slept cozier than they ever had.


End file.
